United News of Bangladesh

Ireland posted a competitive 181 for four in the opening T20I in Chattogram on Wednesday night, leaving Bangladesh with a demanding chase after choosing to field first. Ireland’s innings was anchored by Harry Tector, who held the middle overs together with an unbeaten 69 off 45 balls. He struck one four and cleared the rope five times, accelerating late to lift the visitors past 180 on a surface that offered true pace and bounce. The visitors set the tone early despite losing captain Paul Stirling for 21, caught at mid-off in the fifth over off Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Tim Tector kept the tempo high with a brisk 32 from 19 balls before falling to Rishad Hossain, leaving Ireland well placed at 71 for two. Lorcan Tucker chipped in with 18, but it was Curtis Campher’s lively 24 off 17—featuring a six over midwicket—that helped Ireland steady after a brief slowdown. He eventually miscued Sakib to deep square leg in the 18th over. George Dockrell added late impetus with an unbeaten 12 off seven balls, ensuring Ireland finished strongly by taking 54 runs off the final five overs. Bangladesh’s bowlers struggled for consistency except Mustafizur Rahman, who conceded only 23 runs in his four overs. Sakib picked up two wickets but went for 41, while Shoriful Islam and Rishad Hossain claimed one each. Bangladesh won the toss in this match and opted to bowl first. This series came as a chance for Bangladesh to tune-up their T20I set-up ahead of the World Cup next year.

Bangladesh won the toss and chose to field first in the opening T20I against Ireland on Thursday in Chattogram. Bangladesh won the two-match Test series before this T20I series. This series is Bangladesh’s chance to fine-tune their T20I set-up ahead of the World Cup next year, which will take place in India. Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Litton Das (capt & wk), Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Tanzim Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam Ireland XI: Paul Stirling (capt), Tim Tector, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little.      

Newcastle United says its fans were “indiscriminately assaulted” by French police after the Champions League match against Marseille on Tuesday, raising serious concerns about supporter treatment. The Premier League club has formally contacted UEFA, Marseille authorities, and French police to address what it described as “unacceptable” behavior. Marseille won the match 2-1 at the Velodrome, and Newcastle supporters faced delays exiting the stadium, being allowed to leave in groups of 500 while police escorted them to the Metro station. According to the club, once the first group was released, police allegedly used excessive and unnecessary force to prevent the remaining fans from moving. Newcastle said this involved pepper spray, batons, and shields, with many supporters reportedly harmed in the process. The club stressed that it is cooperating with UK police to collect evidence and has called on both UEFA and Marseille to investigate the incident thoroughly. “Supporter safety and welfare should always be the top priority, and we strongly condemn the treatment of our fans by police during this event,” Newcastle said in a statement. The incident has reignited concerns about the safety of traveling fans in European competitions, highlighting tensions that can arise during post-match stadium procedures.

Tigers are is set to return to Chattogram today (Thursday) for their final series before the T20 World Cup, with a three-match contest against Ireland doubling as a full-dress rehearsal for next February’s tournament in India. Yet the cricket itself comes after a day of tension as captain Litton Das’s unusual criticism over the selection process has drawn discussion ahead of the opener. Litton, however, urged his teammates to set the noise aside and focus on the squad of 15 at hand. Bangladesh were swept 3–0 by West Indies in this city earlier in the year, and the captain repeated a familiar message — he wants his players to face difficult passages of play, and to learn how to win from them. “I want our players to be pushed,” Litton said after training on Wednesday. “We didn’t win the last series, but this time we want to come through tough situations and finish matches.” Chattogram has been chosen deliberately for back-to-back series in the build-up to the World Cup. The surface here typically rewards batters, a trait expected in Indian venues as well. With early-winter dew likely to aid strokeplay further, Bangladesh hope to refine their plans in similar conditions. Litton voices frustration over team selection ahead of Ireland T20 series One area under scrutiny is the middle order, which struggled in recent outings. Shamim Hossain’s omission and Mahidul Islam’s inclusion sparked debate, but Litton said he remains confident. “They’re all proven players. I believe they’ll bounce back,” Litton said.  Expressing optimism, Curtis Campher said the visitors want to sharpen both their batting aggression and wicket-taking options before the World Cup. Asked about the pitch, he offered a light-hearted reply.  “It’ll still be 22 yards — same for both sides. Hopefully a lot of runs,” he said.  

The last time South Africa won a Test series on Indian soil, Hansie Cronje and Sachin Tendulkar were captaining their sides. Nearly a quarter century later, the Proteas have finally repeated the feat, completing a dominant 408-run win on Wednesday to sweep the two-match series 2-0. South Africa, the reigning World Test Championship winners, took the opening Test in Kolkata by 30 runs before wrapping up the series in Guwahati. Off-spinner Simon Harmer produced a career-best 6-37 as India collapsed to 140 all out in the final innings. Cronje’s team had triumphed 2-0 in 2000 with victories in Mumbai and Bengaluru, but since then South Africa had managed only two wins in 13 Tests in India—until this year’s breakthroughs. “It’s a huge achievement, something we constantly strive for,” captain Temba Bavuma said. “Winning 2-0 in India is rare. Many of us have felt the pain of being on the losing end here, which makes this so much more satisfying.” India had been set an improbable 549 to win after South Africa posted scores of 489 and 260-5 declared. The hosts’ first-innings 201 left them far behind, trailing by 288. India crumble on final day Three wickets fell in the morning session before India slumped to 90-5 at tea. The remaining wickets tumbled in barely an hour, sealing India’s heaviest Test defeat by runs. The previous worst margin—342 runs—was against Australia in Nagpur in 2004. India have now lost five of their last seven home Tests, their worst home stretch in 66 years. “It’s disappointing. We need to improve, but credit to South Africa—they were the better team,” India captain Rishabh Pant said. “You can’t take home conditions for granted.” The loss also marked India’s second home series defeat in successive seasons, following a 3-0 sweep by New Zealand in October 2024, intensifying concerns about India’s red-ball transition. Pakistan, India placed in same group for T20 World Cup Harmer ended the series with 17 wickets, earning player-of-the-series honors. It was his first five-wicket haul in India after previously recording four four-wicket hauls. Aiden Markram set a new record with nine catches in a single Test. Ravindra Jadeja top-scored for India with 54, while the side missed captain Shubman Gill, who was sidelined due to a neck injury sustained in Kolkata. Bavuma has now guided South Africa to 11 wins in 12 Tests as captain, including the 2025 World Test Championship final. Marco Jansen took player-of-the-match for his 93 runs and 6-48. Echoes of 2000 In South Africa’s 2000 series win, they edged the Mumbai Test by four wickets before crushing India by an innings in Bengaluru. Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald combined for 16 wickets, Nicky Boje took seven, and Gary Kirsten scored 149 runs. India’s stars included Anil Kumble with 12 wickets and Mohammed Azharuddin with a century in what became his final Test. That defeat ended India’s unbeaten home run since 1987 and was Tendulkar’s final series as captain. Cronje, later banned for match-fixing, died in a 2002 plane crash. Source: AP 

Kylian Mbappé delivered a sensational four-goal performance on Wednesday, recording the first quadruple of his Champions League career and producing the second-fastest hat trick ever seen in the tournament. The French forward struck three times within a span of just under seven minutes to guide Real Madrid to a 4-3 victory over Olympiakos. “I’m really pleased with the goals. It’s always a joy,” Mbappé said, crediting his teammates for consistently providing him with quality service. Chiquinho opened the scoring for Olympiakos in the eighth minute before Mbappé responded with goals in the 22nd, 24th and 29th minutes. After Mehdi Taremi pulled one back for the Greek side in the 52nd, Mbappé netted his fourth of the night in the 60th minute. Ayoub El Kaabi later added a third for Olympiakos in the 81st. Mohamed Salah’s rapid treble for Liverpool against Rangers in 2022 remains the quickest in Champions League history, taking 6 minutes and 12 seconds after coming on as a substitute, according to UEFA. This latest feat marked Mbappé’s fifth Champions League hat trick — and his second of the current campaign after a trio against Kairat earlier in the league phase. Two of his previous hat tricks came during his time with Paris Saint-Germain. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo share the all-time record with eight apiece, while Robert Lewandowski has six. City stunned at home as Leverkusen clinch statement UCL win Mbappé now sits atop the Champions League scoring chart with nine goals, three ahead of Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen. He has already set a personal best for goals in a single Champions League season and has 22 goals in 18 games for Madrid across competitions. “His finishing is vital, but it’s also the character, the work rate, the connection he brings to the team,” coach Xabi Alonso said. The victory snapped Madrid’s three-match winless run and lifted the club to fifth place in the Champions League league-phase standings. “Winning again was essential,” Mbappé said. “Three games without a win is far too many for us. We had to take three points to stay inside the top eight — that’s our focus now.” Source: AP

FIFA has overhauled the 2026 World Cup draw format to ensure the four highest-ranked teams  like Spain, Argentina, France and England avoid each other until the semifinals, provided they top their groups. The draw, set for December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., will use a tennis-style bracket system for the first time. FIFA confirmed Tuesday that the new format rewards top-ranked sides by placing them in separate pathways for the 48-team tournament hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. The change means defending champions Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, and European champions Spain, inspired by Lamine Yamal, can only meet in the final at MetLife Stadium near New York, if both win their respective groups. “To ensure competitive balance, two separate pathways to the semifinals have been established,” FIFA said in a statement, aiming to reward teams whose consistent good results have raised their world ranking. Unlike previous World Cups where knockout paths were tied to group allocation, the new approach fixes the bracket in advance. This year’s draw will place 48 teams into four pots before assigning them to 12 groups of four. A full, updated match schedule, with stadiums and kickoff times, will be released on December 6. The ceremony will last about 90 minutes, with the draw itself taking an estimated 45 minutes. As hosts, Canada, Mexico and the United States enter Pot 1, joined by the nine highest-ranked teams: Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Forty-two teams have already qualified, including Iran and Haiti, which FIFA expects to play as drawn despite political sensitivities with the U.S. The tournament will span 16 venues across the three host nations, including 11 NFL stadiums in the U.S. The remaining six entrants will be decided in March through European and intercontinental playoffs. Those teams will enter Pot 4, the lowest-ranked tier, meaning four-time champions Italy could prove a dangerous wildcard next week when the final placing draw is made. Host nations will be marked with different colored balls: Mexico as A1 (green ball), Canada as B1 (red ball), and USA as D1 (blue ball). The other nine Pot 1 teams will automatically be assigned to position 1 in their respective groups. Pot 2 features the next 12 teams: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria and Australia. Pot 3 includes Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Pot 4 contains Jordan, Cape Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand and the six playoff winners. Teams from the same confederation cannot be drawn together, except for Europe, which will have 16 representatives, forcing four groups to include two UEFA nations. To maintain bracket balance, Spain (rank 1) and Argentina (rank 2) will be placed in opposite pathways. The same applies to France (rank 3) and England (rank 4), ensuring the top sides stay separated until late. For the host schedules, the USA, placed in Group D, will open on June 12 in Inglewood against a Pot 3 team, then face a Pot 2 opponent in Seattle on June 19, and finish against a Pot 4 side back in Inglewood. Mexico, in Group A, will kick off the tournament on June 11 at the Estadio Azteca against a Pot 3 team, then play a Pot 2 team on June 18 in Guadalajara, before returning to Mexico City for their final group match against a Pot 4 opponent. Canada starts on June 12 in Toronto against a Pot 4 team, then moves to Vancouver for matches against Pot 3 and Pot 2 sides. World Cup draw pots: Pot 1: Canada, Mexico, USA, Spain, Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany Pot 2: Croatia, Morocco, Colombia, Uruguay, Switzerland, Japan, Senegal, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Austria, Australia Pot 3: Norway, Panama, Egypt, Algeria, Scotland, Paraguay, Tunisia, Côte d'Ivoire, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa Pot 4: Jordan, Cabo Verde, Ghana, Curaçao, Haiti, New Zealand, European Playoff A, B, C, D, FIFA Playoff Tournament 1 and 2 Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.    

Bangladesh captain Litton Das expressed an unusual message on Tuesday, expressing frustration over the team-selection process ahead of the T20I series against Ireland. The tension surfaced when Litton was asked about Shamim Hossain’s exclusion from the squad. Shamim, who had scores of 0, 1 and 1 in his last three T20Is, was left out without prior discussion with the captain — something Litton said took him by surprise. “Of course it would have been good if he was in the squad,” Litton said. “But this wasn’t my call. The selectors dropped him without informing me — without any notice.” Litton went further, questioning the very process behind selection. “All my life I believed captains knew who was coming in and who was going out,” he said. “But apparently that’s not the case anymore.” His frustration sharpened when the conversation shifted to the new-look middle order, which now features five right-handed batters — Mahidul Islam replacing Shamim, alongside Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali and Nurul Hasan. “That’s a good point,” Litton told a reporter. “If that idea came from above instead of from you, it would help. At international level, you need right-hand and left-hand balance.” Litton said he had been explicitly told that he would have no say in selection. “I’ve been told by the board and selectors that I must work with whatever squad I am given. I won’t have a say in who I want or don’t want.” The captain also expressed regret over being unable to support Shamim during a lean patch. “Not everyone will perform every series. Shamim played extraordinary cricket for us before. As captain, I should have been able to support him. I’m really sorry I couldn’t.” Asked if he had raised concerns with the board, Litton did not hold back. “A distance has been created, yes. I’ve been told clearly: my job is to take the team I’m given and produce results.” On whether he would continue as captain under such conditions, Litton kept his response brief: “We’ll see.” Bangladesh play Ireland in the first T20I in Chattogram tomorrow.      

Manchester City dominated possession, created more attacks and fired more shots, but none of it mattered. Bayer Leverkusen walked into the Etihad, absorbed pressure, and struck twice with clinical precision to leave with a memorable 2-0 Champions League victory on Tuesday night. Alejandro Grimaldo put Leverkusen ahead in the first half before Patrik Schick doubled the lead after the break, securing all three points with two brilliantly taken goals. With a congested schedule in mind, Pep Guardiola opted to rest goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Jérémy Doku. All three attackers were introduced in the second half, but none could reverse City’s fate. City were sluggish in the opening half, lacking the pace and sharpness needed to break down Leverkusen’s disciplined defence. Though the tempo rose after the interval, and the hosts grew more threatening, the Bundesliga side adapted with the momentum. City had their first big chance in the fifth minute when Nathan Aké met an Oscar Bobb cutback inside the box, but the effort was brilliantly pushed away for a corner by the Leverkusen goalkeeper. Leverkusen, however, were ruthless when their moment arrived. In the 23rd minute, Malik Tillman whipped in a cross on the counter. Christian Kofane’s flick wasn’t cleared by City’s defence, allowing Grimaldo to rush in and smash a left-footed strike into the net, leaving the City goalkeeper helpless. Just before halftime, Tijjani Reijnders wasted a golden opportunity to equalise, hitting a close-range effort straight at the keeper. 10-man Barcelona humiliated by Chelsea in UCL showdown Guardiola made three changes at halftime, but Leverkusen struck again instead. In the 54th minute, Ibrahim Maza delivered a superb cross that Schick headed in, outmuscling Aké to guide the ball home and make it 2-0. City pushed harder after Guardiola introduced Rayan Cherki and Haaland in the 65th minute. Chances followed, but Leverkusen’s defensive wall refused to break. In the 85th minute, Cherki’s curling free kick was acrobatically stopped by the Leverkusen goalkeeper, ending City’s visibly last hope. City tasted first Champions League defeat with the referee blew the match-ending whistle. With the result, Pep’s team sit sixth with 10 points from five matches. Leverkusen climb to 13th with eight points. Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Inter Milan continue to occupy the top three spots with 12 points each from four games, with Arsenal and Bayern set to face off at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

A chaotic night at Stamford Bridge ended in disaster for Barcelona, who collapsed 3-0 to a ruthless Chelsea after going down to 10 men late in the first half. An own goal from Jules Koundé opened the scoring before Estevão doubled the lead with a brilliant strike. Liam Delap sealed the 3-0 victory with Chelsea’s third. Chelsea could have scored three more, but those efforts were ruled out for offside or handball. Chelsea dominated from the outset and nearly took the lead in the fourth minute. Enzo Fernández put the ball into the Barcelona net from close range, but the referee disallowed it for a handball by defender Wesley Fofana in the buildup. Two minutes later, Ferran Torres squandered a golden opportunity to put Barcelona ahead. Receiving a pass from Lamine Yamal inside the box with only the goalkeeper to beat, the 25-year-old forward inexplicably fired wide from near the penalty spot. That was all for the night for Barça. The home side’s breakthrough came through fortune. In the 27th minute, Marc Cucurella’s cutback caused confusion inside the Barcelona box—Neto’s flick was cleared off the line by Ferran Torres, only for the ball to rebound off Koundé and roll into the net. Barcelona’s troubles deepened just before halftime when captain Ronald Araújo picked up a second yellow card for a foul on Cucurella, leaving his team a man down and visibly shaken. Cristiano Ronaldo expected to escape WC ban as FIFA issues probation with red-card ruling Chelsea struck again shortly after the restart. In the 55th minute, young Brazilian Estevão produced a superb solo effort, bursting into the box, cutting past Eric García and Alejandro Balde, and smashing the ball inside the near post to double the lead. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick responded with changes, sending on Raphinha and Andreas Christensen. But the visitors’ resistance didn’t last long. In the 73rd minute, Liam Delap finished from a Fernández pass inside the area. Although the flag initially went up for offside, VAR confirmed the goal, sealing Barcelona’s defeat. Statistically, Chelsea controlled 55 percent possession, took 15 shots and hit the target six times. Barcelona managed only five attempts, with just two on goal. Robert Sánchez preserved Chelsea’s clean sheet with a brilliant save to deny Raphinha in the 81st minute—Barcelona’s only real threat after going down to 10. Chelsea now sit on 10 points after five group-stage games, while Barcelona, suffering their second defeat, drop to 15th with seven points in a disappointing campaign. After arriving in London on the back of a 4-0 La Liga win over Athletic Bilbao, the Catalan leave bruised, beaten and searching for answers ahead of Saturday’s league clash with Alavés.